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Birth, 1971
tapestry; wool
86.4 x 35.6 cm
Collection of Mann Art Gallery, 2005.07.010
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Margreet van Walsem
1923, Zutphen, The Netherlands–1979, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada
Dutch born artist Margreet van Walsem was introduced to natural dyed wool and weaving by Anton Skerbinc at the Saskatchewan Summer School of the Arts in Fort Qu’Appelle in 1969.
Her work harmonizes a deep feeling for nature with a use of natural materials, an interest in ancient and Indigenous weaving techniques, and a choice of subject matter that “involves being surprised with and wondering about familiar things: birth, death, dance, giving, taking, justice and injustice.”(1) These interests converge in Birth, an image which fuses the moment of birth with the creation of a tapestry.
Marg Jasper, “Tapestries, Batiks Reflect Nature,” Prince Albert Daily Herald, December 2, 1974.
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Inside Out, 1977
slit woven tapestry with additions; wool
254 x 127 x 10 cm
Collection of Mann Art Gallery, 2017.08.016
The later works of influential Prince Albert weaver Margreet van Walsem bring together a deep commitment to natural carding, spinning, and dyeing with an evolving interest in innovative weaving techniques.
Van Walsem became more interested “in the possibilities of structure”(1) after encountering sculptural weaving approaches at the Sixth Lausanne International Tapestry Biennial in 1973, and through workshops with Jagoda Buic (Yugoslavia) and Ritzi Jacobi (Germany) in 1974. Inside Out is a virtuosic tapestry in which changing loom tensions allows the creation of a multi-form landscape of slits and channels, twists and folds.
1. Nancy Robertson, “Weavings Show Growth,” Saskatoon StarPhoenix, June 11, 1976, 29.
01.
Margreet van Walsem spinning at Saskatchewan Summer School for the Arts, 1973. Source: Jan van Walsem.
02.
Margree van Walsem dying wool at the Saskatchewan Summer School for the Arts, 1973. Source: Jan van Walsem.
03.
Margreet van Walsem spinning on Harold Pearman’s Farm, 1975. Source: Jan van Walsem.